In "Beca de Gilas: Rebeca's Story," his 1999 20-minute video documentary, Urquijo paints an intimate portrait of Rebeca Armendáriz, a 21-year-old Chicana battling Prop. 209 in rural California. "Beca" is a gorgeous, passionate work, revealing without resorting to talk-show tawdriness, earnest but not bludgeoning. Deservingly, "Beca," which was funded in part by Pacific News Service, garnered both a Golden Spire award and an honorable mention for grand prize at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival.

"With the awards under his belt and screenings coming up at the Mill Valley and Latino film fests, Urquijo is looking toward his next project, a feature narrative tied to the gentrification of San Francisco. So are we."